Chapter 2 – A home is where the money is.
(Thank you every one for reading! hope you enjoy this new instalment! I try and update every Sunday. Follow me on tumblr: fearthepowerofwords)
"Fucking piece of shit! Stupid fucking mud and twigs" Levi grouches and grumbles as he kicks a nearby tree. The same tree he has passed several times in the last few hours. Levi hates himself for trusting his poor memories in finding where he buried his bag. He has been wandering around the same forest for hours now. He's hungry and tired but he can't fix either of those problems without the bag.
Levi continues to walk through the dense bushland, hoping something will spark his memories and guide him toward his belongings. The weather is cool and a breeze rustles the tree above him. Levi hugs his arms to his chest and shivers as he continues walking, he should've asked for an extra jacket or a scarf when leaving the hospital. Levi lifts the hood of his jacket and puts his chin to his chest, trying to conserve heat so he does freeze his balls off.
Upon looking at the ground Levi notices a set of footprints in front of him, bearing to the right and disappearing in the distance. Levi slowly puts his foot in one of the footprints and finds it's much larger than his own, which means someone else is here. The footprints are fresh and Levi starts to feel uneasy, what if the people he was running from are here in the forest with him?
Making a split decision, Levi decides to follow the footprint, maybe they will lead him to the person following him so he can get the surprise them. Levi swiftly follows the footprints as they weave through the trees. Eventually Levi comes to a stop when the footprints abruptly end in front of a massive tree. The tree is close to 20 metres tall and the roots weave and duck under the soft soil, the bark is thick and rough making it look sturdy and strong.
Levi is captivated by the sheer size of the tree that he almost misses the gleam of a metal object on the ground. Levi's attention is drawn to it as it looks out of place amongst the leaves and foliage of the forest floor. Slowly bending down, Levi cautiously pulls the metal object. The object is connected to a thin lid made of leaves and twigs and as Levi continues to pull the object up, the lid reveals a small hole. Sitting in the hole is Levi's bag, in perfect condition and unharmed from the external environment.
"So this is where I hid the fucker," Levi mutters as he reaches for the bag. A sudden tingling feeling spreads over Levi's neck and he has the sudden feeling that he is being watched. He checks over his shoulders and surveys the area for a hidden intruder, but finds he's alone. Levi then unzips the bag to check that the contents are still there. His eyes land on the wads of cash, packed messily in the bag, nearly overflowing. He doesn't have time to count it but he assumes it is all still there.
Levi quickly zips the bag up and slings it over his shoulder and starts to walk off. He stops in his tracks when he remembers the footprints. They led him straight to what he was looking for but they were definitely not his footprints. The placebo feeling returns and Levi turns in a circle, looking for anyone lurking in the background but he still can't find anything.
Levi decides to make a run for it just in case, the quicker he gets out of the forest, the quicker he can hide the money. He takes off running like he did days prior in the rain, only this time he has no idea who he is running from and that scares the shit out of him. He picks up his pace, running with ease around trees. Levi keeps hearing snapping twigs or heavy footfalls but whenever he looks behind him, there is nothing there.
Levi eventually reaches the forest edge and where the road starts, he slows his pace, comforted by the fact he is close to civilisation again. Levi ponders weather the lightning strike had an impact on his mental state. What if I'm going crazy? Levi thinks as he slowly jogs towards the town.
The first thing Levi needs to do is find a place to live and buy so goddamn groceries because he's fucking starving. He also needs to buy a phone but he can only use cash so he can't be tracked, a fake ID would also be a good investment.
Levi continues to walk for another half an hour before he sees the outskirts of town. His mind begins to wander back to the night he ended up in the emergency department. Petra had mentioned that he had just appeared at the hospital and that it was evident that he was dragged there. Who dragged him from the forest to the hospital? That's a long fucking walk. And how did no one see him arrive? It almost sounds like a ghost story. Levi then remembers the unknown presence that followed him in the forest. Maybe I have a stalker Levi thinks, a very skilled stalker if they can go undetected by Levi.
Before Levi realises he is surrounded by buildings and streets filled with angry drivers. The wind blows strongly around Levi and dark clouds begin to roll over the town, threatening to drench any person outside with rain. The forest next to the town blows a fresh breeze and Levi finds it calming as he continues to look for a real-estate agent.
Once Levi finds a suitable realtor, he flicks his hood over his head and walks up to the window and reads the 'for-sale' signs. Nothing looks overly appealing and Levi only needs something big enough for himself and won't draw much attention. He sighs in defeat as none of the houses satisfy his picky needs. A figure suddenly appears out of the corner of his eye, walking up to the same window he's currently looking in. Levi tenses up, fear prickles at the back of his neck as a million bad scenarios run through his head and all of them end badly.
Levi continues to stare at the signs through the window, pretending to not notice the person next to him, he's afraid 'they' have found him, ready pounce if he runs. As Levi continues to use his peripheral vision to silently observe this person he can see it's a young man who is a few feet taller than him (Which isn't hard in Levi's case) and wearing a dark green hoodie. The young man suddenly lifts his hand toward the window and Levi notices a red marker in his hand. The figure draws an almost perfect circle around the 'for-sale' sign just behind the window, the marker making a loud squeaking noise on the glass.
The two men stand in silence for a second once the circle is drawn, Levi clenches his hands in an attempt to stay clam. The figure then moves his arms up to his face and starts to push his hood back. Levi can't take the suspense any longer. His eye flick towards the young man standing next to him, only he sees nothing.
The man who was standing no more than inch away from him vanishes from Levi's sight. Levi jumps backwards in shock as he looks at the nothingness around him. There is not a soul in sight. His heart hammers against his chest and his breathing becomes irregular as he continues to stare at the non-existent person. A million different things run through Levi's mind, was he really going mad? Was his mind playing tricks on him? Could he be hallucinating?
Levi stays absolutely still for a few more minutes as he absorbs what just happened. He slowly regains normal breathing and his shacking body calms down enough for him to slowly walk towards the same window. Although the mysterious boy is nowhere to be seen, the red marking was still on the window, a perfect circle surrounding a particular house. It's nothing special, 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, it is more than enough room for Levi plus it looks in very good condition so he wonders why it hadn't sold already.
"It's a nice house that one" a female voice startles Levi, he quickly turns around and comes face to face with woman who looks like the real-estate agent. She has short blonde hair and is average height, wearing a smart pencil skirt and blouse. Her nametag reads Nanaba and smiles brightly at him. Levi must look like an idiot because he continues to stare at her, not knowing what to say.
"ehh… yeah it is nice" Levi replies sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.
"Are you interested in buying it?" the blonde asks politely.
"Not really. It's too much space for just me and it's probably going to be way too expensive" Nanaba nods her in disagreement, looking almost sad.
"Not at all. I have been trying to sell that house for over 6 months, no one wants to buy a house that's haunted." This comment catches Levi's attention.
"What do you mean haunted?"
"Well ever since I was assigned to the house I have sold it many times but all the buyers sell it again soon after. I don't think it has been lived in for more than a month straight. They say that objects are moved and lights turn on and off without warning. It's become a legend in the town. Everyone knows its haunted and therefore no one will buy it." Levi listens intently to what Nanaba says, trying to figure out if it's really true.
"However there is one thing that bugs me a lot about the house" the blonde states, almost talking to herself.
"What is it?"
"Well… the house hasn't been owned in over 6 months and we haven't hired anyone to look after the house, no gardeners or cleaners or anything. Yet the house is always in immaculate condition, not even a single cobweb seen."
For some reason her words are thoroughly satisfying to Levi, if the house is clean it means he doesn't have to waste time cleaning before he moves in.
"How much?" Levi asks a little too enthusiastically. Nanaba looks at him with confusion.
"Ehh… well since I have no other way of selling it I'm taking any offer you want" the blonde looks completely shocked. Levi then proceeds to swing his backpack over his shoulder and pulls out a few wads of money before securing the bag on his back again.
"Is this enough?" Levi thrusts the money at the young real-estate agent. She wears a shocked expression as she carefully takes the cash and calculates it in her head.
"Yes this should be enough. But are you sure about it? I Just told you that the house was haunted and creepy as fuck" Levi barks out a laugh smiles at the woman.
"Look lady, I appreciate the concern but I don't believe in ghosts or supernatural shit. I need a place to sleep and if I can buy it this cheap I'll take it." Nanaba just shakes her head and walks into the agency, walking behind her desk and doing a few things on her computer. Levi follows and takes a seat in front of her desk, stealing a few lollies off her desk and eating them, it reminds him how hungry he still is.
"Okay so here is the settlement form, I need some of your details and a signature before you can officially own the house." Nanaba states while handing Levi some forms to fill out. "Also the house is fully furnished with ducted heating and gas connection. It also already has Wifi so I can give you the password plus there is a car there as well that is complementary with the house." Levi looks up from the forms at the last bit of information, he is getting way too much for what he bargained for.
Nanaba understands Levi's expression and continues, "The last family that bought the house thought the car was haunted because of malfunctions with it so they left it behind. I can assure you it works fine, I took it to a mechanic and he said there was nothing wrong with it." Levi nods in understanding and continues to fill out the forms.
A few minutes later all the paper work had been filled out and everything is in order. Luckily Levi didn't need official identification due to Nanaba's reluctance to finally sell the house. Once everything was signed for and put through the system he was ready to get to the house and settle in, maybe have a nice hot shower and some food. Nanaba was nice enough to give him a ride to the house, as she had to take all the For-Sale signs down. The ride to the house was quiet and Levi was happy to watch the scenery out the window, tightly holding his backpack to his chest.
Nanaba finally brakes the silence, "Are you sure you want this house? Apart from the price why did you buy it, especially since it is just you living there." This question made Levi think for a minute. It was true that the only reason he bought the house so quickly was because it was dirt-cheap. Levi's mind abruptly flashes to his hallucination, the young man drawing a circle around the house he just bought. Fuck Levi thinks, he could be walking straight into a trap, why would he trust the judgement of an invisible fucking person, if he even existed.
Levi keeps silent as his mind goes crazy with a million different things but Nanaba doesn't say anything, only observes Levi looking a little scared.
"Shit… I'm sorry I didn't mean to be nosy" the blonde replies quickly "I didn't mean to sound rude. You don't have to answer me, I just have to be sure you will be okay in the house all by yourself" Levi then starts to laugh, it was all sounding too dramatic for his taste.
"Don't get your panties in a twist, I think I can handle myself."
"Are you a trained professional or a cop or something?"
"Something like that"
Levi goes back to staring out the window and a comfortable silence falls in the car. It no more than 10 minutes later that they arrive at the house, its positioned on the corner of a quiet street. From the outside Levi can tell it's a nice home, two stories and looks freshly painted. Levi believes Nanaba when she says it never gets dirty. The shape of the house is all sharp angles and large windows, Levi guesses that someone wanted to make it look modern but it just looks like a designer threw up all over it.
Nanaba pulls into the driveway and parks the car before swiftly getting out and going straight to the sale sign. Levi takes his time getting out, still holding his backpack close as he slowly walks up the front lawn and inspecting the cleanliness. It isn't to Levi's standards but it will satisfy him for the minute until he can get his hands on some proper cleaning products.
"So as I said before, the house is fully furnished and you should have power, hot water and Wifi already working. Unfortunately there is no food but there is a small shopping centre at the end of the street" Nanaba explains as she walks up to where Levi is standing. Levi continues to look at the house, still trying to comprehend how he got this house so cheap, that he officially owns it. He looks over at the young real-estate agent and sees a sad expression.
"If you cry I swear to all things holy I will walk away" Nanaba laughs at this but looks at him seriously.
"Promise you will be careful. I know you don't believe the stories I have told you but I have seen many people walk out of this house scarred and traumatised for life. If you need any help or have any questions don't hesitate in calling." She then hands Levi a card.
"Why is everyone in this town so fucking nice?" Levi whispers under his breath. Nanaba however hears him and simply chuckles. She then hands him a set of keys and explains which keys open which door. Once everything is done, Nanaba bids Levi farewell and swiftly leaves. Levi can only hear silence as he walks to the front door, no cars on the street, not even birds in the trees. It would normally bother Levi but he is too tired and exhausted and still fucking hungry.
Upon walking into his new home, Levi observes a large entrance hall with a small table to his left, where he chucks his keys. He then notices two sets staircases, one that leads down to the ground floor and one going up stairs. He chooses the ground level and explores the huge kitchen on his left and a fully furnished lounge room to his right, Nanaba was right about the furniture Levi thinks as he inspects all the furniture, noting the lack of dust which makes him very happy.
The lounge room and kitchen are in one open room, which also includes a big dinning table, made of expensive looking oak. The large open space leads to another set of stairs going down further into the house where he presumes the laundry and rumpus room is. He doesn't bother going down the stairs as it can wait till tomorrow to be explored. Levi then makes his way to the second staircase leading up to the bedrooms and bathrooms. There are two corridors, one that has 4 doors leading to 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. The other corridor is shorter and only has one door, upon further inspection Levi discovers it's the master bedroom and an ensuite attached.
Levi immediately falls heavily on the Queen sized bed and breathes in the smell of fresh laundry. Levi would also be thoroughly confused as to why the sheets are fresh and clean if no one has lived here for months but he was too tired to think. His exhaustion has caught up with him and all he wants to do it sleep but he knows he needs to eat and have a shower.
10 minutes later Levi stands by the kitchen bench chewing on pizza from the pizza box, cleanliness be damned, he is too tired to clean up after himself. With a belly full of unhealthy pizza Levi makes his way up the stairs to his new bedroom, but stops suddenly, noticing something is off.
His keys suddenly catch his eye, they are hanging from a hook near the front door. Levi only remembers throwing them on the small table upon arriving and not touching them again. A shadow then moves past Levi and he turn quickly to see what it was, only to see the empty house. It's just your imagination Levi repeats in his head it's because you're tired and need sleep and you have had strangest fucking day.
Levi decides to let this absurdness slide on account of his exhaustion and continues his journey to his bedroom. This next thing on his agenda is a hot, scolding shower to wash his craziness away. He walks into his ensuite and begins to undress while waiting for the water to heat up, before getting in, he looks through the doorway into his room and checks his backpack of money is still under the bed. Levi then walks into the impressive shower that's big enough for 4 people and closes the glass door that's already fogging up.
With a big sigh Levi relaxes under the water, savouring the heat and letting his muscles relax, feeling the water rush over his skin and down the drain. There are shampoos and soaps already in the shower stall and Levi takes his time choosing which one to use. Lathering himself in a thick layer of suds from head to toe. He hesitates over the scarring on his back, the intricate weaving of the lines across one side of his back catches his attention again. He begins to wonder how only one side of his back got affected by the lightning. He notices that all the lines eventually point to the top of his shoulder, where his arm begins, almost like it left his body at that point. Deciding not to dwell on it Levi continues to scrub every inch of his body and it makes him moan in relief at finally being clean.
While Levi is enjoying his well-deserved shower, he doesn't notice the figure at the doorway to the bathroom, lurking just out of sight. He doesn't realise he has a guest who is watching his every move with excitement, waiting for the right moment to reveal himself, but for now the boy is happy to just observe the view from afar.